Fresh Farms’ Havel: Nogales deal expands based on demand for quality product
Fresh Farms’ Havel: Nogales deal expands based on demand for quality product
rio rico, az — If Mexico shipped mediocre quality, its growers would not be extending their shipping season in the face of competition, said Jerry Havel, director of sales and marketing for Fresh Farms, which is located here amid many other distributors of Mexican fruits and vegetables.
But in recent years, produce distributors in Nogales have significantly lengthened their shipping season.
“I think, honestly, the reason the Nogales season is longer is customers are driving the demand for Mexican product. Mexico’s quality gets better and better and it’s something the customers are waiting for.”
Even if their shipping calendar overlaps with other districts, “they still have the quality to compete because of the way they farm, with high food-safety and packing standards,” Havel said.
At one time, other growing areas may have had superior quality “but now Mexico is the same or better,” Havel said. Sometimes the price for Mexican product exceeds other areas, but buyers still prefer Mexican produce.
Several years ago, the Nogales deal didn’t pick up volume until early December.That shipping season now begins in mid- to late-September with early volumes of squash, cucumbers and watermelons.
“The deal is getting earlier and earlier,” Havel said. “In the spring it seems that we are shipping longer and longer with squash, watermelons and other items like that, for the same reason. Our products are attractive to a big part of the U.S. If you have quality, people will buy. If we were earlier or later and had mediocre quality, we couldn’t survive.”
